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Mitt Romney: The former Presidential candidate who has called Donald Trump a phony being considered for the head of the State Department? Romney has also ridiculed Trumps business record and foreign policy comments. Predicting a Hillary Clinton victory, Romney far from the “team player”.

Romney tax-breaks for the RICH

Donald Trump on Romney: “He choked like a dog against a failed president” ” In 2012 he dropped to his knees looking for my endorsement”.

Donald Trump has a lot of friends, so where are they now? Romney has done a 180 degree swing to get himself a cabinet position? Or Does Donald Trump have less friends then he thinks? I don’t get how you can reward a campaign enemy with a cabinet position. If Romney has the skills for the position or not has no relevance, he should not even be considered. Trump’s potential cabinet is shaping up to be a real joke. With the likes of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Guiliani. But at least they were loyal to his campaign, something that Romney certainly wasn’t.

source: Wikipedia.org

So who is the real phony? Trump for boasting having far more friends then he actually does or Romney for his complete 180?

Another credit downgrade for New Jersey under Governor Christie, the 10th since taking office. The downgrade driven by the massive debt of the states pension system, and a bleak future for revenue. In the wake of New Jersey’s economic mess, State Senate President Sweeney has proposed legislation to mandate quarterly payments to the New Jersey Pension System. If this sounds all too familiar it is! Christie who “promised” to fix the states pension deficit has contributed to it during his time in office by $17.5 billion and counting. So will the state (Christie) pony up the money when mandated by legislation? Or will some emergency take place that will divert monies away yet again?

Politics is why this issue exists not just economics. Politics has underfunded and continues to underfund. The fix is money, lots of it and tax-payers aren’t going to want to pay the bill. With this said, the unenviable task at hand is to piss off the tax-payer/voter and pay, quarterly, semi-annually or yearly, that will not fix the problem entirely. The big issue is the continued growing liability and the addition of new people entering the plan. This must end. It is time for a dose of reality that the public sector should not be immune to the demise of the defined-benefit pension plan? Previously in New Jersey at the beginning of Governor Christies first term, pension/benefit reform took place. Increasing the contributions of state workers toward their medical and pensions. The NJ voter, fell in love with the idea, make the state worker pay just like we do in the private sector. The promise to fund though was broken by Christie leaving us where we are today, with a $135.7 billion funding shortfall. Future costs will continue to increase no matter what formula is used to make payments. The workers will be left with the yearly uncertainty if payments will be made at all despite any new legislation.

The bottom line in my opinion is for the state to get out of the pension business for future employees. Pay the payments for the participants today. Allow cash pay-outs for workers under 10 years of service. Real reform, this is what is in order. Does any state representative have the fortitude to say it let alone do it?

Its been 9 days since the election of Donald Trump as president. In those 9 days I have wrote a single post the morning after election day and that is it. Opting to sit back and listen as the country responded. Protests have sparked up all over the country against the President-Elect. Fueled by fears of racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and more. The talk has included the conversation of eliminating the electoral college (just as was the talk after George W Bush got elected). as President-elect Trump did not win the popular vote.

If you have been listening you should have heard the statement of “its time to get behind the president-elect” although I seem to remember the calls not to get behind President Obama and make him a one-term president Mitch McConnell. And the final thumb in your eye to President Obama not having a hearing on confirming a new Supreme Court Justice. Not inspiring facts for me to want to support a Trump Administration.

We have also seen campaign promises broken. Who actually believed that Trump was going to “drain the swamp” ? Trumps recent dance with Mitt Romney to be Secretary of State may indicate a move away from the drain the swamp plan. But if you aren’t convinced or believe that this may be an isolated incident, look at some of the possibilities Trump is considering for Treasury Secretary. Some recognizable names floating around for possible posts Washington Swamp Mongrels Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani?! Not that anyone would be surprised by these two as they have been hanging out at the dinner table for some time waiting for some crumbs to fall.

In these 9 day’s we have also been treated to many laughs at the expensive of the president-elect. My personal favorite the one of Cheetos being left in the White House bathroom in case President Trump needs to powder his nose. Thankfully, there is still some space for humor because we will need it in the coming 1460 days we potentially have a Trump presidency. I say potentially because some believe he will be impeached or resign in his first 2 years.

Am I hoping for a Trump failure? Am I hoping that he resigns amid scandal? Am I hoping that an economy under Trump collapses? No, I am not and neither should anyone else. But we should be working toward the change we want in the next four years. We should work toward the goals of equality in all forms. If you abandon goals because the wrong candidate won you may be the reason why he won.

Last night I did not wait to see the final results. With Florida reporting 90% of its precincts Trump had a slight edge. I went to bed. About 3 am I woke up with the thought America was going to have an orange president and a nude model for its first lady. Not quite the role models you would want your children or grandchildren to look up to. So sliding out of bed and grabbing my phone I confirmed this horror with seeing the check mark in red next to a picture of Trump. Looking at the numbers overall it was close in the popular vote but not the electoral college.

source: Wikipedia.org

NO, I did not vote for Clinton or Trump. I stayed the course and voted Jill Stein-Green Party. Was my vote wasted? Well, Trump didn’t win in my home state of New Jersey so I am not responsible for what may come.

What will come? What is the expectation? Recently the comment was made that he was coming in to “drain the swamp”. I must admit it caught my attention and actually made me laugh. Washington is a swamp. Maybe even a sewer of deceit and money fueling careers of politicians who are allegedly there to be civil servants. How will Trump “drain the swamp”? If this is one of the mandates from the election, why would the people return congress with the same majorities in both houses? Is it possible that the we the people who voted for the orange president don’t have a firm grasp on the importance of congress in getting an agenda passed? Not that Trump had too many supporters on the down ticket to vote for. How many voters actually believe that the president has supreme power and he will just make things happen?

Our future, is it like those who believe there is a cloaked meaning in the slogan “Lets make America Great Again”? A return to bigotry? A life without health care for millions? Deportation of millions of immigrants? Closed borders to certain migrants? Or, when America was an industrial power house? A military leader throughout the world that was respected? Only time will tell and much can happen good and bad in 4 years. So the time for sour grapes is now if you are on the side that wasn’t for Trump. We will get it out of our system and accept the future, 4 years of an orange president and a nude model as first lady to lead us in a path to being great again, whatever that means. God Bless America.

New Jersey’s ballot question 1, “should there be casino’s in North Jersey. The huge amounts of lobby money being thrown toward the question tells us this is a big issue and somebody really wants a YES vote! Taking the question at face value is it just a simple YES for jobs, progress and the NJ tax base? Don’t be fooled, business interests are solely the interest of the politicians who gave us this question. Why a question? So the politician’s have no culpability to the decision. But they know how this will go down. Convenience will prevail, “if I vote yes I won’t need to drive to Atlantic City.” . And North Jersey has the votes if they come to the polls and vote solely convenience.

The Atlantic City Promise> How to bring the city back? Casino’s was the answer from city officials, and they argued and politicked for them. The city was in decline with a steady drop from the 1960’s. The boardwalk was dilapidated and uninspiring with “bad food and t-shirt shops” And also plenty of games of chance. In 1975 unemployment in Atlantic City was running between 20-24% in the peak season. And the economy was sinking, with poverty running above 20%. So with promises of economic growth and population growth the 49% African American population and the majority voted for the casino’s to come to town. Since the casino’s have come to town little has changed and today it is worse. The city is still poor and uneducated. In 1970 13% of the African American community did not have a high school education. In 1990, 28% of that same population did not have a high school diploma. In 2016 the vacant Showboat Casino, Trump Plaza, Atlantic Club, Taj Mahal, and the billion dollar Revel are all reminders of who and why these casino’s were built, for profit of the few. The Revel closed despite massive tax breaks from the Christie Administration, so the taxpayer has also been duped.

So to the ballot question, should we allow casino’s to be built in North Jersey? Well what are the promises being made? Good jobs? Economic Growth? A stronger tax base? I think its quite possible we are being sold a tale, AGAIN.